President Ali pushes for united effort to protect declining nature and forests

As the world continues to lose more of its forests and biodiversity, His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali appealed to nations, organisations, and communities to rally around what he described as a global crisis.

Speaking at a high-level international panel on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, the Guyanese head of state noted the division among global actors continued to hinder a unified international approach to reversing the damage to the planet’s ecosystem.

While data and science are important to decision-making, President Ali said, the real challenge lies in fostering collaboration among stakeholders, including energy companies, forest nations and multilateral institutions to find real solutions.

This is where the Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA), which was launched in Guyana earlier this year, can make a difference.

Referencing the Global Biodiversity Alliance Summit held in Georgetown, the president said, “We brought together every stakeholder. We were not afraid to put policmakers and the academia in the same room.”

He pointed out that the aim of the GBA is to foster an international coalition ready to take decisive action.

We should be willing to have a level of openness that brings all the voice and perspective around the table, so that we can work and find sustainable answers to which we have a commitment from every stakeholder,” the president said.

President Ali reminded the panel of the sharp decline in biodiversity worldwide, pointing out that Latin America and the Caribbean have suffered the worst losses, with 95 per cent of biodiversity disappearing over the last 50 years.

This decline, in turn, can affect food security, health, and livelihoods, as most of the world’s crops and medicines come from nature.

Guyana is committed to its Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, protecting over 18 million hectares of forests that store billions of tonnes of carbon to help stabilise the global climate. Although the country has valuable resources like gold and diamonds, it prioritises long-term sustainability over short-term gains.

Additionally, President Ali announced that Guyana will soon establish a Global Centre of Excellence for Biodiversity in partnership with Yale University. The centre will focus on research, education, and the development of new ideas for sustainable development.

He also thanked international and regional partners, including Colombia’s former President Iván Duque, Brazil, and the United Nations, for their support of Guyana’s leadership on biodiversity.

President Ali said he is confident that through cooperation and innovation, the world can restore and protect its natural resources